Let's Show a Little Compassion

Boo boos are the perfect opportunity to teach compassion. How will children ever learn to care for you or others if we don’t teach them by our example? When your child or student gets hurt, hug them, acknowledge their pain, and assure them it will get better. Their pain is real! Show you care instead of saying SHAKE IT OFF or YOU'LL BE OK, THAT DIDN'T HURT, or BE TOUGH, BE A BIG BOY / GIRL. Just a simple short moment of caring will teach them to be compassionate toward others. I'm not saying go crazy over it, but acknowledge it. I love to see my students show compassion for their classmates.  Just this week a student tripped going up the stairs in the mad dash to get to class in the morning.  He hit the step with his stomach and it knocked the breath out of him.  Another student, only one  in 100, stopped to make sure he was ok.  We need more Elijah's in the world.  He obviously has the right name.  And just think YOUR KIDS, or THESE KIDS may have to acknowledge YOUR pain one day when you are old. You don’t want them to tell you to SHAKE IT OFF, YOU’ll BE OK, but hold your hand and kiss it instead.


Watch this.

Teachers or Data Collectors?

I just finished reading an article from the Washington Post entitled, "Kindergarten teacher: My job is now about test and data - not children.  I quit." Read it if you haven't.  Now.............
Can anybody relate to this?  Teachers all know kinders and first graders need to play to develop their thinking, but we are being monitored, by visitors with a checklist, as to which Alabama state standard we are teaching in everything we do. Playing, making crafts, making t-shirts, all the things in the past that motivated children to love school, love books, and love learning are sadly not one of the standards we are supposed to be teaching. I’m so sad for my grands. I don't see them loving school the way kids used to.  They will be missing out on so many things my own children experienced in their early childhood days.  How many of you remember the teddy bear picnic? All the students brought their teddy bears to school and we weighed and measured them.  We took them on a parade.  The bears were our buddies during buddy reading.  We had an actual picnic with beary juice, teddy bear gummies and teddy grahams. It was a FULL DAY of learning with teddy bears. Now instead I have to tie everything to a standard.  If only the gods of testing and data knew what teachers know--when kids are having fun while they are learning-- they will learn more and love all things related to school. Just today as I was attaching blue hair to a sentence strip for all of my THINGS, I had the feeling I was doing something wrong. I wish I could be a cheerleader for my school system like I was when I first began teaching! I actually pretend to go with the flow, then shut my classroom door, and do what is best for my kids--and guess what? Our test scores improved 20 percent.  (But don't get me started on that psychological child abuse we call  SCANTRON. That's the name of our current computerized test. With TEN number passwords.  Looks like I got MYSELF started.) Happy Suessy Springtime!  

If you are interested, you can read the full article as well as the letter from this teacher.

Guest Reader

Our students LOVE guest readers, especially our local officers! Our special guest today was Officer Byron Williams of the Decatur City Police Department. He took time out of his busy day to read, talk, and answer LOTS of questions from my little firsties as we kick off our month long Seussical Adventure in conjunction with Read Across America.  We appreciate everything he and all of our officers do daily to protect us. We love seeing them walking our halls and making connections with our kids!  It looks like I took a nap for a sec.  I ALWAYS, ALWAYS blink.